“University of Akron student Jeff Bloomhuff will be competing in the American Master Installer Auto Glass Competition, which will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada on Oct. 6. Bloomhuff, a junior public relations student, has been installing glass for nine years with Advanced Auto Glass.”
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University of Akron student Jeff Bloomhuff will be competing in the American Master Installer Auto Glass Competition, which will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada on Oct. 6.

Bloomhuff, a junior public relations student, has been installing glass for nine years with Advanced Auto Glass.

This is a bi-annual competition, and also Bloomhuff’s first appearance since he did not participate in 2006. He became involved in this activity through the encouragement of a friend while he was between jobs. Bloomhuff heard about this competition through an organization called The National Glass Association, NGA.

They seek out abled body contestants from all of their glass companies around the United States that are in good standing with them, and we’ll say that I was suggested by my owner, states Bloomhuff.

He went through an application process after his owner suggested him and was accepted into the competition. Bloomhuff is drawn to this competition because of recognition for his company, personal recognition, the organizers stressing furthering education for installers because there is always something new to learn, having glass companies stay organized and be on the cutting edge of technology.

The winner and first runner up will travel to Germany, where an international competition will be held at the end of October. The first place winner also receives a price of $5,000. Including Bloomhuff, there are seven people in this competition, one of which is the winner of the 2006 competition, whom Bloomhuff believes may have a slight advantage because he has been there before and nobody else has.

Installing glass is a labor intense job with some aches and pains but not dangerous because, there is pretty rigorous testing for staying certified so installers are up to date with all the new information, says Bloomhuff.

A lot of people assume it’s timed or a race event but that’s not it at all. It is timed but they want to make sure especially that you are doing everything safely and properly and getting a proper seal on the windshield. Getting the windshields glued into place is the biggest part of it because cars have such tight safety crash regulations, and windshields actually have a lot to do with roof structure.

Customer service is also a part of the judging process.

Once he arrives at a job site, it takes Bloomhuff about an hour to do his work.

His company pays for his flight, and the hotel cost is split between the NGA and his company.

His family is very proud and wishes they were able to come out and see him.

Although his family won’t be in attendance, his fiancé will be traveling to support him.

At first installing glass was just a job where I worked for many, many years before coming back to school, Bloomhuff says.

It represented a job that was different everyday. A lot of people talk about the monotony of their jobs but this job was different and is still different everyday. There is always a new challenge.

As soon as you get comfortable with a certain type of vehicle the company changes the body style.

This keeps him on his toes and gives him a chance to know all the little nuances with each car.

It has been a struggle since I have gone back to school, he explained. Trying to work as much as I can and go to school full time, but it has been a flexible job for me and I give kudos to my employers.

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